The University of Mississippi has established an average job placement rate of 85 percent in 2013 in almost all of its schools and departments, according to the 2013 Annual Survey Report. Out of the seven schools that participated in the job placement survey, the School of Dentistry in Jackson and the pharmacy and engineering schools in Oxford were the schools with the highest job placement rates.
The schools with the lowest job placement rates among the seven schools were The Meek School of Journalism and the School of Education.
The university does not require students to complete post-graduation survey information; there is a 20-25 percent response rate from year to year, according to the university’s Career Services Department.
The Engineering School at The University of Mississippi had 156 graduates in May 2014.
Alexander Cheng, the dean of the school of engineering, reports that most engineering students have job offers at the time of graduation, and of those that do not, many will have secured a position within six months. According to the School of Engineering, the average salary of a mechanical engineer who graduates from UM is $70,000.
“The Engineering School continues to strive for better placement of our students,” Cheng said. “As engineering enrollment has doubled in the last few years, we realize that we need to double up our effort. We are pleased to face the challenge.”
In comparison, graduates employed by the Mississippi Department of Education with initial certification are scheduled to earn $33,390 in 2014-2015 according to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.
The School of Education at The University of Mississippi had 336 graduates in 2013. Of the 336 initial program graduates, 86 percent hold a Mississippi Department of Education teaching certificate. Of that number holding certification, 57 percent are employed with the Mississippi Department of Education, according to the Assistant Dean of Education Amy Wells Dolan.
The job placement for graduates employed by the Mississippi Department of Education has increased since 2010. For example, in 2010, 52.5 percent of UM graduates earning the Bachelor’s of Education were employed on new certification by MDE. In 2012, 62.84 percent of UM graduates earning the Bachelor’s of Education were employed on new certification by MDE, although this data does not include graduates employed in private schools or other states.
“The job placement rates for the School of Education are excellent,” Dolan said. “As the School of Education for the state’s flagship institution, we strive to produce the largest number of high quality graduates well prepared for and dedicated to improving student learning and teaching in Mississippi schools.”
Dean of the School of Law I. Richard Gershon said that nine months after graduation, 85 percent of the class of 2012 were employed or had entered a graduate law program of some sort. Moving forward to 2013, 93.2 percent of the class made up of 190 students were employed or attending graduate law programs within nine months of graduation.
After graduation, it was reported that the class of 2013 had a mean salary of $75,423 at a law firm, according to the School of Law.
“We are regularly ranked in the top 20 law schools for value, based on bar (examination) pass rates, employment and cost of attendance,” Gershon said. “Lower debt allows graduates to pursue a broader range of opportunities.”
The majority of students work at private practice law firms with 2-10 attorneys in them, according to the 2013 annual survey data. Gershon said it is a great time to go to law school because the job market is improving, and law school class sizes are decreasing.
Also ranking in one of the top job placement rates is the UM Pharmacy School.
The UM Pharmacy School had 91 graduates in 2013, and 100 percent of those graduates have found a job, according to Dean of Pharmacy School David F. Gregory. Gregory said the biggest competitor for the UM School of Pharmacy is the University of Tennessee in Memphis. In addition to its excellent job placement rate, the pharmacy school reports that graduates can enjoy an average entry-level salary of $100,000 to $120,000 a year.
Gregory believes that they focus on the quality of their graduates and their ability to provide the highest level of care for the patients they will be serving in various settings.
“I believe our high placement rate is a direct reflection of this effort,” Gregory said.
The School of Business Administration is one of the five most popular majors at the university, but it does fall short in job placement.
For the 2012-2013 academic year, the School of Business Administration had 580 graduates, and for the 2013-2014 academic year, it had 556, according to Dean Frank R. Day and professor of finance Ken Cyree.
Cyree said their surveys show a range of 50-75 percent or more — depending on the chosen major within the school — have found jobs within six months of graduation. He also said most students are finding jobs in Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee and Georgia, and the most popular occupations are sales and finance.
“Just after the financial crisis, we were around 35 percent placement, and now, most majors have 50 percent or more finding jobs,” Cyree said.
“We just hired a new director of career preparation in the Business School that will help students learn how to increase their job search and career skills that will help them their entire lives,” Cyree said. “We will continue to provide career coaching and other skills such as resume writing and how to research companies with whom they are interviewing.”
Although the Meek School of Journalism has many students in their school, the job placement rate falls in areas where other schools excel. In 2013, 71.5 percent of bachelor’s degree recipients received job offers, according to the 2013 annual survey of journalism and mass communication graduates.
Even in the area of freelancing, the Meek School fell short with 86.9 percent in 2013 compared to 2012 when they were up to 88.4 percent, according to the 2013 annual survey. The most common type of employment in the Meek School in 2013 was advertising.
From the 2013 annual survey, the average overall salary for a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree recipient with a full time job was $32,000. At the university, this is one of the lowest paying jobs after college.
“I know 2009 sounds like a long time ago, but that’s when the Meek School was created,” Assistant Dean to the School of Journalism Charlie Mitchell said. “We are just now getting some of our systems, including tracking graduates, up to speed. The statistics may not reflect it because of the low participation rate in post-graduate surveys, but I am confident that graduates here do as well or better than other universities in starting their careers once they receive their degrees.”
In Jackson, Mississippi, the Dentistry School showed a great job placement rate in 2013.
According to Dean Dr. Gary Reeves, the Dentistry School had 35 graduates, all of whom have found a job within the first six months after graduation. Reeves said being the only dentistry school in Mississippi causes the job placement rate to be excellent.
According to Reeves, the average reported salary of graduates in 2013 was $143,000.
“Last time I researched, The University of Mississippi is right on par with the national averages on job placement,” said Johnathan Harrington, associate director of employer services.
